The Sword and The Flame
Encyclopedia
The Sword and The Flame is a wargame
based on British
colonial war
s (in particular, the Anglo-Zulu War
) and, more generally, a set of rules applied to a variety of wargames.
These rules for playing colonial wargames were first drafted by Larry Brom in 1978. The rules have gone through several revisions, but still have the same basic characteristics that they had when first written.
) focus to other historical periods; the names of the variants usually incorporate the words "the Sword", although the variant that simulates the establishment of the White Rajahs
in Sarawak is called The Kris
And The Flame. A fantasy wargame
variant Awaken The Storm! was released in 2007 .
, a poem by Rudyard Kipling
, part of his Barrack-Room Ballads
. This poem talks about Queen Victoria and how the empire she rules is so powerful because of the sacrifice that her soldiers make; the relevant part reads:
Wargaming
A wargame is a strategy game that deals with military operations of various types, real or fictional. Wargaming is the hobby dedicated to the play of such games, which can also be called conflict simulations, or consims for short. When used professionally to study warfare, it is generally known as...
based on British
British Empire
The British Empire comprised the dominions, colonies, protectorates, mandates and other territories ruled or administered by the United Kingdom. It originated with the overseas colonies and trading posts established by England in the late 16th and early 17th centuries. At its height, it was the...
colonial war
Colonial war
Colonial war is a blanket term relating to the various conflicts that arose as the result of overseas territories being settled by foreignpowers creating a colony...
s (in particular, the Anglo-Zulu War
Anglo-Zulu War
The Anglo-Zulu War was fought in 1879 between the British Empire and the Zulu Kingdom.Following the imperialist scheme by which Lord Carnarvon had successfully brought about federation in Canada, it was thought that a similar plan might succeed with the various African kingdoms, tribal areas and...
) and, more generally, a set of rules applied to a variety of wargames.
These rules for playing colonial wargames were first drafted by Larry Brom in 1978. The rules have gone through several revisions, but still have the same basic characteristics that they had when first written.
Design Concepts
When Larry drafted the original set of The Sword and The Flame rules (usually referred to as TSATF) he had 5 main objectives . These were:- Enjoyment: in that the game itself was oriented more to being fun than as an accurate historical simulation
- Playability: a reference to the fact that some rulesets are noted for the complexity of their phrasing and the minutiae of their amendments; Larry favoured simple rules
- Drama: Larry wanted to ensure that every game had a chance of being won by either side, and that a player could not exactly predict an opposing player's movement distance.
- Excitement: linked to the idea of drama, but Larry also wanted to ensure that both sides were involved in all stages of the action. Larry's system of resolving combat by matching off opposing models rather than calculating a mêlée en masse was intended to achieve this .
- Historical Flavour: the game should appear to be what happened in the time being simulated although it would not seek to be an exact recreation—in TSATF both sides have an equal chance of winning, whereas in history the colonial power was usually dominant over the indigenous population.
Randomness
The rules included some interesting innovations, particularly the use of playing cards to randomise movement and firing (Larry refers to this as the 'random move card innovation'). At a time when movement and firing was either alternate ('you move, I move') or simultaneous, this represented a major change in thinking amongst wargamers.Derivatives
The rules have proven so popular that they have generated a whole set of variants which adapt the rules from their original British colonial (and especially Anglo-Zulu WarAnglo-Zulu War
The Anglo-Zulu War was fought in 1879 between the British Empire and the Zulu Kingdom.Following the imperialist scheme by which Lord Carnarvon had successfully brought about federation in Canada, it was thought that a similar plan might succeed with the various African kingdoms, tribal areas and...
) focus to other historical periods; the names of the variants usually incorporate the words "the Sword", although the variant that simulates the establishment of the White Rajahs
White Rajahs
White Rajahs refers to a dynasty that founded and ruled the Kingdom of Sarawak from 1841 to 1946, namely the Brookes, who came originally from England. A Rajah is a monarch in the Indian subcontinent and Southeast Asia.-Rulers:...
in Sarawak is called The Kris
Kris
The kris or keris is an asymmetrical dagger or sword nowadays most strongly associated with the culture of Indonesia, but also indigenous to Malaysia, Southern Thailand and Brunei. It is known as kalis in the southern Philippines. The kris is famous for its distinctive wavy blade , but many have...
And The Flame. A fantasy wargame
Fantasy wargame
A fantasy wargame is a wargame that involves a fantastical setting, and employs rules for elements such as magic and non-human intelligent creatures.- History :...
variant Awaken The Storm! was released in 2007 .
Title
The title is derived from The Widow at WindsorThe Widow at Windsor
"The Widow at Windsor" is a poem by Rudyard Kipling, part of the first set of the Barrack-Room Ballads, published in 1892.The eponymous "widow" is Queen Victoria. This poem talks about Queen Victoria and how the Empire she rules is so powerful because of the sacrifices that her soldiers make....
, a poem by Rudyard Kipling
Rudyard Kipling
Joseph Rudyard Kipling was an English poet, short-story writer, and novelist chiefly remembered for his celebration of British imperialism, tales and poems of British soldiers in India, and his tales for children. Kipling received the 1907 Nobel Prize for Literature...
, part of his Barrack-Room Ballads
Barrack-Room Ballads
The Barrack-Room Ballads, and Other Verses are a set of martial songs and poems by Rudyard Kipling originally published in two parts: the first set in 1892, the second in 1896...
. This poem talks about Queen Victoria and how the empire she rules is so powerful because of the sacrifice that her soldiers make; the relevant part reads:
Walk wide o' the Widow at Windsor,
For 'alf o' Creation she owns:
We 'ave bought 'er the same with the sword an' the flame,
An' we've salted it down with our bones.